Caught on tape: Thieves in Chesapeake mess with the wrong house

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Thieves ransacked a house on Scotia Drive Thursday morning, but what the crooks did not know is that a couple houses down 15 cameras were rolling.

Police have not named any suspects but say the man caught on tape is a person of interest in the case.

Wendy Stedman says she was devastated when she found out the house she had only lived in for two months was burglarized.

Stedman says the thieves tore through everything she owned – stealing a Nintendo Wii, two laptops, and jewelry. All and all Wendy estimates they stole about $5,000 worth of stuff.

“They also take part of you, they take your sense of security, they your sense of peace, your sense of comfort,” says Stedman.

Stedman was relieved to find out her neighbor had a surveillance system, although the cameras could not see the back of the house where the thieves broke in, it did catch a man walking the street at the same time as the burglary.

The man with the surveillance system says he got the cameras installed last year because the neighborhood has gotten rough since he moved in over a decade ago.

Police told NewsChannel 3 there have been several burglaries in the area in recent months.

For Stedman, she says most of the things stolen can be replaced, but her grandmother’s charm necklace is the one thing she will miss.

“It’s hard, it is the one piece that you had to hold on to of their physical being something that she wore all the time, that she specifically left for you because she knew you would treasure and value it and hold it close to your heart,” says Stedman.

Oddly enough, Stedman was going to install an alarm system Thursday evening.

If you recognize the person of interest or have any information that can help police, call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.